PBY-5a "Black Cat"

 

 

the panel lines are very nice. 

the details are very good 

there is no interior detail however. 

building the landing gear is the first step. 

it was quite difficult but I managed to get it done. now that the glue is fully dried I am quite impressed by there strengt. 

next is glueing them into the fuselage. unfortunately the fit is not that great, I did manage to get it looking decent though. 

the cockpit has almost no details, I would add in some stuff but you wont be able to see it well so I am not going to bother. 

it does come with some controls and a control panel but they are not very interesting to look at. 

the rear gunners area is quite nice for the lack of detail. I wish the walkway had a little more support but I will accept it as no wait will be but on it. 

the rear walkway thingy is painted and weathered. 

painted and weathered the interior, not the best but the most visible parts I am happy with. 

the other walkway for the rear gunners area is complete, also very little detail but the molding on the walkway is quite nice. 

the cockpit turned out much nicer then expected for such basic details. 

painted the controls, I could put the included decal but it wont be visible and I care more about the exterior on this kit then the interior. 

rear guns painted. 

rear guns mounted. it will be weird with the glass piece over it. did they just shoot through the glass? 

fit the rear walkway inside, this wasn't as annoying to fit but was still tricky. 

the front was the most difficult, the fit is awful and it took way too much of my time. 

all glued up. the front turret is interesting as they intend for you to not glue it in and allow it to swivel. I did this and it swivels quite well. not super important but it is a bit of fun. 

all glue is now dry, the fit was not great but I am overall happy with it. 

Glued the rear dome windows on. they fit perfectly on the fuselage. very good fit. 

my first try at windows this way. surprisingly easy and they turned out much better then the injection molded windows. 

these windows were good as well. I will be honest though, the only reason I did it this way was I forgot to put the windows in before sealing it up. 

drilled holes in the middle wing portion. I dont know whats up with me today but I forgot about them and then had to open the part up again after gluing with my exacto knife.  

I lost one of the bombs, I might try and 3d print a new one at some point but I haven't decided yet. 

the middle wing section is finished. 

glued onto the fuselage. 

first strut glued on, it is a later step but I felt like doing it now because I worry about the wait of the wings when I attach them in the next step. 

All 4 complete. very happy with them. will sand down the extra glue when it dries. 

outer sections of the wings. 

floats 

I will mount them in the down position. the instructions are not super clear but it its pretty intuitive once you find all the pieces. 

full wingspan, next will add the elevators. 

elevator peices added. it fits but it is not very clean. 

front window added 

very happy with how they fit on the wing. 

engines painted grey and weathered. 

the rear window popped off while I was masking it. it ended up being much easier with it off. I may try and take the other one off before masking. very happy with how this turned out.